Shrouded Goodbyes
by Janiqua
Summary: SPOILERS for S10 The Quest, Part Two and The Shroud! Well, not really spoilers, but sort of. Jack O'Neill knew something was wrong the moment Daniel came to say goodbye. [Friendship] Ties in with Meridian.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I will only say this once. Do NOT, NOT, NOT read this story unless you already know what's going to happen in "The Shroud," which I believe is the thirteenth episode of Season Ten. There are SPOILERS! Well… that's actually debatable. But I'd rather not risk it. All you should know is that something terrible is gonna happen! Anyway, SPOILERS! You've been warned.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Stargate. This is purely a piece of speculation! Major speculation… What could _possibly_ bring Daniel to make the decision that those of us who have actually read the spoilers know that he makes? Here's my guess… Just a guess! Anyone who wants to comment on it, or debate about it, or whatever, just send me a REVIEW! Thanks so much!

**ooooooo**

**Shrouded Goodbyes**

**ooooooo**

Jack sighed. Standing on the back deck of his now part-time home in Colorado, he gazed forlornly at the trees, trying to ignore the empty pit in his stomach that reminded him of how much he was missing. He had been happy once… But that had been a long time ago. And since leaving the SGC…

So much had changed. And more often than not, Jack found himself missing the good old days, when the greatest threat to the galaxy had been Apophis and his cronies. Who would have ever seen _that_ one coming? A small, lifeless smile played across the General's lips as he recollected old missions… old surprises… good times… bad times… frustrating times… fulfilling times…

1969…

Time _loops_… What he wouldn't give for a couple of _those _right about now…

Superhero armbands… That had been one of the best bar fights in the history of the Air Force!

It had also been several years ago. What had happened…? God…

He heard the glass door sliding open behind him… heard the footsteps approaching him… but didn't turn. He had told Daniel over the phone that he'd leave the front door unlocked, so he could just walk on in when he arrived. There was quite _obviously _something troubling the archeologist. And Jack thought he had a pretty good idea of what the source of that trouble was…

_"Yeah, but didn't you feel that was because we had someone looking out for us? I don't think I would say this to anyone else, but for the first time, I'm scared."_

Those words had haunted Jack way more than he cared to admit these past two years. Daniel… was the closest thing he had to a little brother. And… and Jack didn't want him to feel afraid. He wanted him to feel safe. Protected.

Not that anyone was ever safe working at the SGC – that was one of the major glitches in the program, but what were you gonna do? Every job had its hazards. Still… Jack worried about Daniel. He worried about Daniel more than any of the others – and that included Carter!

Carter… _Sam…_

His feelings for her didn't change the fact that she was generally incredibly good about keeping outta trouble. And when she did get into trouble, she was even _better_ at escaping. She was an escape Queen! He didn't worry about her so much because he didn't have to. She was stronger – much, _much_ stronger – than he was, and as for how intelligent she was… Well… He could just leave it at that.

But Daniel… He was, quite literally, a magnet for trouble. Apparently more so now than ever before. These Ori… Hell, Jack couldn't even stand the _Others_! He didn't have the patience that Daniel did! Maybe… maybe if he had… maybe if he had allowed himself to ascend back when he was Baal's prisoner, Daniel wouldn't be so intensely isolated right now. But for all intents and purposes, he was… And Jack had a sneaking suspicion that the Ori knew it, too… and that they would be all too willing to use it against him. Hell if Jack _ever _let that happen!

"Jack…"

_Oh, crap._

No one, and that quite literally means _no_ _one_, knew Daniel Jackson better than Jack O'Neill. They'd been through so much together… And the General knew… he _knew_… that tone in Daniel's voice. The pained whisper… The underlining guilt… The imminent confession… All things that Jack knew he didn't want to hear.

"Daniel." He turned towards the archeologist almost warily. He took in the haunted expression on the archeologist's face… twisted with grief. It caused Jack to narrow his eyes. Something was definitely wrong. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah," Daniel replied softly. A cool breeze swept over the pair, and Jack felt… or at least thought that he felt… a moment's déjà vu.

_"Tell Jacob to stop."_

"What?" Jack asked, his guts filled with foreboding. It was a difficult question to ask. He almost didn't want to.

"I'm not sure…" Daniel admitted, though by the tone in his voice and the moisture in his eyes, Jack understood that, at the very least, he had a good idea. "Something's about to happen… I don't know what… But I don't think I can fight it."

"What makes you think something's about to happen?" Jack asked, slipping his hands into his pockets. He didn't like the sound of this… Stranger things had happened, yes, there wasn't any doubt about that… It wouldn't even be the first time that Daniel learned ahead of the rest of them that something was amiss! But still… He wasn't generally as reserved as this… Jack remembered the passionate Daniel Jackson of nine, ten years ago – who had literally thrown a tantrum trying to get the others to believe him about Apophis and Klorel's imminent invasion.

_"Why?"_

_"Because I'm ready to move on."_

"I wish I could explain it," Daniel stared at the deck on which he and Jack stood. Peripherally, he could see the nod of the General's head. It was his skeptic, cut-the-crap, get-to-the-point, nod. He obviously wasn't buying it. "Jack-!"

"Daniel," Jack held up his hands outwardly. "I'm not going to pretend to understand. So why don't you just tell me what this is about?"

For several long moments, the two companions just stared at each other in a silence that hung over them like a heavy blanket of fog. Bleak, miserable, black fog… that obscured everything.

"You know I won't give up," Daniel finally broke into it, the moisture in his eyes perceptibly dampening.

Jack nodded. "When have you ever?"

"One life can't be worth the lives of millions."

Jack blinked. _What? _

Daniel wasn't looking at _him_ anymore. Instead, he stared at the General's shoulder, clearly, _clearly_ preoccupied. "We can't keep looking for a way to stop them while their crusade wipes out half the people living in this galaxy. Something has to be done. And if the Others aren't going to stop them…"

How do you respond to something like this?

_"You just giving up?"_

_"No. No, I'm not giving up, believe me."_

Damn it, Daniel… Jack shook his head, staring at the archeologist in growing trepidation.

"I think I can do more," he told the General, his blue eyes glistening incredibly bright.

_"I think I can do more this way. It's what I want. I have to go now. Everything's gonna be fine. Please Jack. Tell Jacob to stop."_

"No," Jack shook his head rigidly. "You're already doing all that you can. For crying out loud, Daniel, when was the last time you've been on vacation?"

"Jack…"

"We could go to Malibu for the weekend."

"Jack."

"What?" He stared at Daniel in near desolation. "After everything we've been through… The Goa'uld… The Replicators… The NID! You telling me you think we can't stop the Ori without you… without you… I don't know. Doing something stupid?"

"There's nothing stupid about any of this," Daniel assured him quietly. "There are… thousands of millions of people whose lives are in jeopardy because of this inquisition. It's gotten desperate, Jack. So something desperate _needs_ to be done."

"Got something in mind?" Jack asked, hating absolutely every second of this damned conversation. "Cause I gotta tell ya, from where I'm standing…" He shrugged his shoulders. And Daniel took a deep breath.

"I can't let anymore people die, Jack. I won't."

"It's a war, Daniel," Jack tersely reminded him. "People die. There's just no way around it."

Daniel made to respond, but suddenly stopped short as if he were choking on something. A look of fear crossed his face, and the tears in his eyes again grew to be more prominent. Jack frowned as the archeologist rapidly turned away from him. "It keeps getting worse…"

"What does?" Jack demanded, watching his friend helplessly. He didn't know what to do. He didn't understand…

Daniel looked back at him. "Lately… There've been times when I see things so clearly. Adria told me _they_ have plans for me. I could use that against them."

Jack's eyes widened. "Hold on a sec'. Adria? You mean Vala's kid?" Daniel nodded. "You have any idea what those 'plans' are?"

"Honestly," Daniel shook his head. "I don't want to know. But sometimes… Jack, Oma made a mistake with Anubis. Kinda like I did with the Ori. And now… she's locked in battle with him for eternity. She gave up everything… The very least I can do is-"

"No," Jack interrupted, staring at him in shock. Daniel met his gaze reluctantly, and could clearly see the General's dismay. "Absolutely not! This conversation is over, Daniel!"

"Jack," Daniel looked like he was in physical pain. "I owe it-"

"You don't owe anyone anything!" Jack advanced on him angrily, his concern quickly transforming into frustration. "For the past ten years you've given everything you have for this universe! The world owes _you_, Daniel! Not the other way around! Are you even capable of comprehending that?"

"It's not good enough, Jack!" Daniel's own voice was also rising in his own augmenting frustration. "Nothing I've done is good enough! The Ori can't be fought! They can't be opposed! At least not yet."

"Then when?" Jack's pulse was throbbing in his throat. He felt like he was running a marathon. Arguing with Daniel like this was definitely _not_ one of the things he missed…

Daniel stared at him for a moment… and then shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe when enough of us ascend to make a difference among the Others…" He trailed off, frowned, and turned his head. The next thing Jack knew, Daniel was biting his lip and fidgeting nervously in a way that he hadn't since his geek years.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?" The archeologist glanced up at him almost absentmindedly. Jack frowned.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

"No."

His response had been immediate – so well timed – that Jack knew without a doubt he was planning something. Something dangerous. Something like… like… like jumping into a room utterly and completely _filled_ with lethal radiation just so that he might save some planet no one cared about! Jack stared at him suspiciously. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Jack," Daniel spoke slowly, considering his words with extreme care. "What if… what if there's a way… to help people on other planets ascend without the Priors' notice?"

"I think it'd be a great idea," Jack replied with a thoughtless shrug, not taking his eyes off Daniel's face. "Were it remotely possible. Where ya going with this?"

Daniel offered him a furtive head-shake. "Honestly, I don't know." He stepped towards the sliding door that led back into house, paused, and glanced back. He looked… scared… unsure… resolved… petrified… and sad. Terribly sad. Heartbreakingly sad. "How much do you trust me?"

Damn it, Daniel… Jack shook his head very, very slowly. He was definitely not happy. "Why are you asking me that?"

_"I'm gonna miss you guys."_

_"Yeah. You too."_

"Jack," Daniel whispered. "Five years ago… you let me do what I needed to. You let me leave."

"I remember," Jack assured him soberly. "And as I recall, if I hadn't of, you would have died anyway."

"Sometimes I think I did," Daniel stared at the deck again. "I'm not who I once was."

For a long time, they just stood there. Daniel studied the ground. And Jack studied him.

"All roads eventually lead to the great path," Daniel finally broke the silence. When he met Jack's gaze again, his tears were falling. Slowly, however, he started to nod. "I think I can do this now. Without the Others."

"Daniel," Jack shook his head. "I'm not going to say it again. That's enough. We're not talking about Great Path here!"

"If you're worried about me ascending, don't," Daniel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've got too many burdens to release." _But if all roads eventually lead there…_

_Sometimes it was the hardest, strangest, and most painful road that ought to be taken…_

_"The universe is vast and we are so small. There is only one thing we can truly control… Whether we are good… or evil."_

"Jack, I think I need you to trust me on this one," Daniel faced his closest friend imploringly. "It's important. But I don't know if anyone could understand."

"Oh yeah?" Jack crossed his arms. "Try me."

"It doesn't matter what the Ori say," Daniel quickly explained. "They can't control us. They can't even control the Priors. At least not… spiritually. Nothing can make a man evil except for… the man himself."

"Yeah?" Jack asked, glaring at him dubiously. "And your point?"

_His _point_? His _point_ was that if there was a way in which he could reach the people of this galaxy and… and… and help them gain enlightenment without the Ori stopping him… it could make a difference…_

"You're my best friend, Jack."

"Daniel-!"

"I have to do this."

_"Walking the Great Path brings great responsibility. You cannot fear it nor hesitate in your resolve."_

Jack shook his head dangerously. "I won't let you. Damn it, Daniel, don't make me call Hank and ground you on Earth indefinitely. 'Cause you know I will!"

Daniel sighed. "Jack…" He met the General's gaze. The regret in his eyes… the grief in his eyes… There wasn't any mistaking it. When it came to obstinacy… not even _Vala _had what it took to compete with the archeologist. But… it felt like an eternity had passed since Daniel had last felt the compulsion to display such obstinacy. "That isn't going to stop me."

He was probably right. Daniel had been taught by the best, after all. And even if Jack _could_ stop him… he knew the archeologist well enough to understand what it would do to him. Daniel blamed himself for so much… If he wasn't allowed to help… If he was turned into some kind of prisoner trapped on his own world…

Jack took a deep breath, once again successfully fighting back his own tears. "What do you want from me, Daniel?" _Why do you have to be this way? Jumping into rooms filled with radiation… Willingly boarding Gadmeer ships moments before their destruction just to save a bunch of Enkarans… Walking into a chamber literally crawling with Replicators to try getting through to Reese… Trying to get through to Ke'ra… What else have you done these past ten years? And now this?_

Daniel shook his head. "Just… believe in me?"

"Damn it, Daniel," Jack whispered. "Don't leave me in the dark here. What are you planning?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know," Daniel closed his eyes, trying to blink past his tears. "Because I really haven't gotten that far yet. Because you'd try and stop me. I don't know! I just…" He sighed and shook his head.

_"Thank you. For everything."_

_"So what? See you around?"_

_"I don't know."_

"I don't…"

"Daniel," Jack walked up to him slowly, and tightly gripped his arms. They stared at each other, both excruciatingly distraught. "You have to promise me something."

The archeologist considered that for a moment, but nevertheless nodded. "Yeah… Yeah. Anything."

Jack paused, summoning up all the strength and all the fortitude he had constructed over these past ten years. Hell, over his entire life! "You're a pain in the ass, Daniel. But you're going to come back, right?" _Please come back…_

A small, barely perceptible smile crossed Daniel's face. But it was humorless. Without light. Without mirth. "Yeah, Jack. I always do."

**ooooooo**

**A/N: **Please, if anyone's reading this, send in a review! I wanna talk about it with someone! I feel all alone because none of my friends like spoilers, so they don't have a clue what's gonna happen to Daniel! All this waiting is physically hurting me! JK! Anyway, I hope this brings a bit of peace to some of you… It sort of has to me, but not enough… I appreciate all feedback! Thanks so much!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I wasn't really planning on writing this, but after reading even _more_ SPOILERS for Season Ten, I couldn't help myself. I needed it to make sense. This chapter's got major SPOILERS in it for "The Quest, Part Two" and again for "The Shroud." You've been forewarned! Please send hundreds of reviews and tell me what you think! Thanks so much!

**ooooooo**

Daniel had left. Just like that. He had turned… and walked away… leaving Jack behind… just as he had five years ago. Only it was different this time. Five years ago… Daniel had left with Oma. Somehow, Jack had known… had felt… that it was right. That it was okay. Even when no one else could believe… a part of Jack had been absolutely certain that it was for the best. That it was good. And true.

Damn, he wished he felt that way right about now. Daniel hadn't even been gone for a _minute_, and already something about it all was tormenting the General. He felt… No. He couldn't say what he felt, exactly, except that it was wrong. _And_ he had felt it before. He just didn't want to think about when. Because it meant that…

That Daniel was in _way _over his head.

Something was wrong. It was too quiet. Were he to move quickly, he could probably catch up with Daniel before the archeologist made it to his car. _I shouldn't be letting him go… This isn't…_

His cell phone rang. Its piercing jingle was enough to cause Jack a headache. Feeling completely numb, he pulled the phone from his pocket. "O'Neill."

"Sir… It's Carter."

_Oh, crap._

Jack knew her as well as he did Daniel. For the second time in five minutes, he could tell just by the sound of a voice that something was greatly, _greatly_ amiss. His throat constricted in growing concern. "Carter. What's up?"

He could hear her breathing. She sounded completely ragged. He wished he was there with her, and not speaking to her over a phone. God, he _hated_ phones! "Sir… It's Daniel. There's…" She stopped. She couldn't bring herself to say it… whatever it was… Something was _definitely_ wrong! And this was confirmation enough.

Jack took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "I just talked to him," he told her. "And you're right. He does seem distracted. More than usual. You have any idea what's going on with him?"

"What?" Sam sounded confused. Confused and in _so_ much pain. "You… You talked to him?"

"Yeah," Jack moved towards the door that led into his house. Leaving the deck, he made his way inside and headed towards the front. "He's probably still here. Hasn't been more than a couple of seconds."

"Sir," there was an edge in Sam's voice… She was clearly well beyond the point of shock. "That's not possible. Daniel didn't… He… He didn't make it back with us…"

"What are you talking about?" Jack demanded, picking his pace up as he threw open the front door and charged outside. Daniel was standing there, with his back to him, several yards away. And to the General's terror, there was a woman with him. He himself had never seen her before in his entire life… But as she was adorned in an elaborate black dress that matched her hair, and had eyes that matched the devil's, he was pretty much able to identify her with great ease.

"We were off world looking for the Sangreal-"

"Carter, I'm going to have to call you back!" Jack interrupted, literally dropping his phone as he started racing towards the archeologist and legendary Orici. "DANIEL!" He pulled free his handgun and expertly readied it. Apparently weapons weren't supposed to be any good whatsoever against Adria, but Jack would sooner rot in Hell – which was actually something he had already done and therefore knew something about – before allowing his best friend to be taken from him.

Daniel glanced back at the General in blatant despair. "Jack…"

"MOVE IT!" He didn't have a clear shot. If Daniel didn't get out of the way, he wouldn't be able to shoot Adria.

But as it turned out, the Orici moved herself. Stepping past the archeologist, she took one look at Jack O'Neill in clear disdain. "You're too late. He's ours now." Reaching her seemingly delicate hand up to her throat, she touched her pendant.

Jack fired his gun four times. He could _not _let this happen! Unsurprisingly, the bullets did nothing to her, but Jack wasn't ready to give up. In fact, he wasn't even slightly deterred! The Goa'uld had shields, too, against which bullets were ineffective. All he needed to do was find out what its weakness was. Reaching into his pocket, he quickly snatched out an old Swiss Army Knife. He couldn't think of what else to do. He needed to… he needed… to kill her! It was his only choice. He would kill her and apologize to Daniel's new girlfriend later. There just wasn't any other way…

"Jack!" Daniel turned towards him more fully and made to run forward. Adria, however, noticed and was quick to stop him. The next thing Jack knew, they were both gone. Vanished. Into thin air. There wasn't even a flash of silver light signaling Asgard Beaming Technology! They were just… gone… as if they hadn't even been there… or had suddenly been turned invisible… or… or… or something!

"Damn it!" Jack stumbled to a halt, practically collapsing in the process. Daniel was gone. The Ori had him. _This can't be happening! _"Damn it!" The world started spinning faster than it ever had before. It felt like it was spinning right out of orbit.

Then again… maybe it was. Daniel was in the hands of the Ori now. And for the first time… ever, really… despite all those other times… like when he had been captured by Nem… or by the Replicators two years ago… for the first time… this time… it felt like he really was gone.

**ooooooo**

**A/N: **Don't forget to review! Thanks so much!


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